Method and apparatus for making a screen or grille



D. KOCH July 9, 1963 METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR MAKING A SCREEN OR GRILLE Filed Dec. 29, 1958 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. J@c%/ EVA/M a j o o o a o0 onooooo D. KOCH July 9, 1963 METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR MAKING A SCREEN 0R GRILLE 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Dec. 29, 1958 INVENTOR. A 66Z /Zcfi/ BY}/ 44 Z p July 9, 1963 D. KOCH 3,096,571

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR MAKING A SCREEN OR GRILLE Filed Dec. 29, 1958 3 Sheets-Sheet :5

United States Patent 3,096,571 7 METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR MAKING A SCREEN 0R GRILLE David Koch, Highland Park, 111., assignor to Morris Kurtzon, Inc, Chicago, Ill., a corporation of Ilhnols Filed Dec. 29, 1958, Ser. No. 783,578 4 Claims. (Cl. 29160) This invention relates to screens or grilles, and particularly to screens or grilles which are adapted to form SOlld, self-supporting structural elements, such as dividing walls, light screens, courtyard enclosures and the like, where strength and solidity are necessary or desirable.

Heretotore, architectural screens and grilles have been commonly made from pieces of iron bar stock which have been bent into various shapes and forms and welded together to form completed units. Such screens or grilles require painting to protect and color the same and they, accordingly, lack a metallic appearance which is especially desirable. If they are made from a material which can he color anodized, they still must be painted because a different shade or intensity of color would appear at the weld points as a result of the color anodizing process, which would give the resultant unit an unattractive splotchy appearance. Stamping out metal screens or grilles from sheet metal requires such thin metal stock that the ultimate products would be structurally and esthetically unsatisfactory for such architectural purposes as interior dividing walls and exterior light screens, grilles, courtyard enclosures, etc., where solidity and strength are desirable or necessary.

In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, the screen or grille is made from thick aluminum plate, at least /8 inch thick, in which the desired design is formed by a multiplicity of spaced, milled, perforated areas leaving narrow strips of interconnected metal. The grille or screen is color anodized to provide an even intensity of a given color while retaining a metallic appearance. The resultant screen or grill being made of solid metal is sturdy and also presents a light, graceful metallic appearance. Moreover, it takes up much less space than, for example,

screens made of bent iron bar stock and can be installed with standard mullion hardware as easily as glass.

In accordance with the method aspect of the invention, the screen or grill is made by anchoring in place a thick uncut solid aluminum plate workpiece and a templet overlying the workpiece, the templet having a series of perforation-s form-ing a repetitive design pattern to be transferred to the aluminum work piece. A milling tool rotating about an axis at right angles to the plane of the work piece is passed through each of the design-forming perforations and moved along defining walls thereof as the tool cuts through the work piece. The perforated thick aluminum plate may then be color anodized to any desired color.

In accordance with a more specific aspect of the invention, the aluminum plate work piece is supported upon a base plate or bed having side rails having a series of longitudinally spaced locator means for precisely locating said templet at different points therealong spaced a distance equal to the width of the design-forming portion thereof. The latter portion of the templet has opposite lateral pattern-forming edges which are complementary so that the juxtaposition of the basic design pattern will form one overall homogeneous design pattern. The locator means on the side rails are, therefore, spaced at distance equal to the width of the design pattern on the templet to enable a large overall homogeneous pattern tobe formed on the work piece by moving the templet in succession to the difierent aforesaid positions on the side rails of the base plate. So as to provide a design pattern of varying 3,096,571 Patented July 9, 1963 size from the same templet, the templet is provided with one and preferably two limit bars, each of which can be positioned in a number of discrete, closely spaced parallel positions lengthwise or laterally thereof. The milling tool is movable parallel to its axis of rotation to the extent necessary to penetrate the work piece and is provided with a templet-contacting collar of sufficient depth to engage the defining walls of the templet perforations as well as the edges of the limit bars while penetrating the work piece, so that the milling tool can be guided along the defining walls of the templet perforations and along the edges of the limit bars to provide a pattern of any one of .a number of selected sizes.

Other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent upon making reference to the specification to follow, the claims and the drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a view of a building interior showing a dividing wall made with screen or grille elements of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a view of one of the screen or grille elements shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a plan view of the templet used to make the screen or grille element of FIG. 2; a

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing the mannerin which the templet is positioned over the work piece supported on a work table, the templet including adjustable limit bars for varying the size of the design pattern;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged fragmentary vertical sectional View through the assembly of elements shown in FIG. 4, taken along section line 55 therein, with the milling tool in cutting position;

FIG. 6 is an enlarged fragmentary vertical sectional view through the assembly of elements shown in FIG. 4, taken along section line '66 therein, with the milling tool in cutting position;

FIG. 7 is an enlarged fragmentary vertical sectional view through the assembly of FIG. 4, taken along section line 7-7, showing the manner in which the work piece is clamped in place;

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the milling machine cutting the pattern in the work piece using the templet shown in FIGS. 36 without the limit bars; and

FIG. 9 is an enlarged fragmentary vertical sectional view through the assembly in FIG. 8, taken along section line --'9.

Referring now to the drawings, FIG. 1 shows a large dividing wall structure composed of a number of grill or screen elements 2 of the present invention mounted within conventional, channeled mullion hardware 4. Each of the screen or grille elements '2 constitutes a sturdy, solid wall element having a modern, light, graceful appearance.

The grille or wall element is made from thick aluminum plate stock, no less than A3 inch thick, and containing a multiplicity of spaced, milled perforations 6 leaving narrow strips of interconnected metal 8 forming a repetitive, grille-forming design pattern. Since the grille or screen element is made from a single piece of aluminum metal, it can be readily color anodized'to any desired color and with the same color intensity throughout, which is not possible in color anodizing and assembly of metal elements welded together.

The design pattern on the screen or grille element 2 can be formed from a templet 10 having a rectangular peripheral or marginal portion 11 surrounding a generally rectangular perforated design-forming portion 12. The design-forming portion 12 comprises a series of perforations '14 forming a repetitive design pattern. The lateral or side edges 12a-12b thereof are complementary so that juxtapositioning of two such design patterns would form an overall homogeneous design pattern.

templet are a series of equally spaced locator pins 16, each in alignment with a corresponding pin on the other end of the templet in a direction parallel to the longitudinal dimension of the templet and located adjacent the inner margin of the peripheral portion 11. The locator pins 16 at each end of the templet may, for example, be positioned on one or two inch centers. On the outside of each locator pin 16 is a threaded screw-receiving hole 18 in longitudinal alignment therewith. A locator pinreceiving hole 19 is centered at each end of the templet on the outside of the locator pins 16. A tapped hole 21 is also formed in the central portion of the pattern-forming portion 12 of the templet in respective longitudinal alignment with each corresponding pair of locator pins 16-16 at the ends of the templet.

Along each of the long sides of the templet on the peripheral portion 11 thereof are a series of similar locator pins 20, each positioned in transverse alignment with a locator pin on the opposite side of the template and located adjacent the inner margin of the peripheral portion 11. The locator pins are spaced preferably the same distance apart as the locator pins 16. On the outside of each of the locator pins is a threaded screw-receiving hole 22 in transverse alignment therewith.

The work piece from which the grille or wall element 2 is made and the templet 10 are supported upon a work table generally indicated by reference numeral 23 (FIG. 8). The work table may comprise suitable support legs 24 depending from a stationary table or platform 25 having upstanding side rails 26. A work support assembly 27 is supported for movement along the side rails 26 by grooved rollers 28 (FIG. 8) carried by angle members 29 secured to the bottom of a bed or base plate 30. The base plate 30 carries upstanding side rails 34-34. At different points along the bed or base plate 30 there are a transverse series of laterally spaced holes 32 which receive securing screws 33 (FIG. 6) threading into holes 35 in the side rails to fix the side rails in any one of a number of selected positions along the width of the base plate 30.

Resting on the base plate 30 and sandwiched between the side rails 34-34 is a wood spacer board 36 upon which rests the aluminum plate work piece 2 also held against lateral movement by the rails 34-34. The outer end of the spacer board 36 and the work piece 2 are braced against the vertical leg of a bracket 37 mounted upon the outer end of the base plate 30. The work piece 2 is clamped securely in place by a series of clamp bars 39 fixed to the side rails 34-34 by screws 40 and bearing against bearing plates 41 therebeneath engaging the top of the work piece. The side rails 34 contain a number of longitudinally spaced threaded holes 42 for receiving the screws 40 which anchor the clamp bars 39 at different selected points along the rails.

Means are provided for supporting the templet 10 upon the side rails 34-34 at a number of points therealong so that the basic pattern of the templet can be duplicated and form an overall homogeneous design pattern. As previously indicated, the pattern-forming perforated portion 12 of the templet is designed so that the opposite lateral edges thereof are complementary, so that a juxtaposition of the design pattern will provide an overall homogeneous design pattern. To this end, the side rails 34-34 are provided with a series of longitudinally spaced locator pins 46 which protect above the rails. These pins may have screw threaded shanks which thread into suitable tapped holes 48 (FIG. 9) formed in the rails. The pins 46 are spaced the same distance as the width of the pattern-forming portion 12 of the templet. The templet is positioned across the side rails with the holes 19-19 thereof receiving the appropriate locator pins 46-46. The templet may be anchored in place in any suitable way as by C-clamps 50-50 whose jaws bear on the top margins of the templet and the horizontal legs of the angle members 29.

If the overall design pattern to be transferred to the work piece is not to be an integral number of the basic design unit on the templet, then the end margins of the overall design pattern is determined by the position of a limit bar 52 upon the templet. The limit bar 52 has a pair of aligned holes 54-54 at opposite ends thereof adapted to receive corresponding pairs of the templet locator pins 16-16 at the ends of the templet. The limit bar also has a pair of holes 56-56 at opposite ends thereof adapted to receive screws 58-58 which thread into the corresponding tapped holes 18 in the templet for anchoring the limit bar to the templet. To prevent deflection of the intermediate portion of the bar 52, the latter is provided with a series of tapped holes 59 for receiving an anchoring screw 60 which threads into one of the tapped holes 21 in one of the narrow strips of the design pattern-forming portion 14 of the templet.

In case the width of the overall design pattern on the work piece 2 is less than the length of the pattern-forming portion 12 of the templet, the width of the pattern is determined by the position of cross limit bar 61 which overlies the limit bar 52. The limit bar 61 has a pair of holes 63-63 at the ends thereof for receiving a corresponding pair of the aforesaid locator pins 20-20 along the sides of the templet 10. Holes 65-65 are also provided at the end of the cross limit bar 61 for receiving screws 67-67 threading into the corresponding tapped holes 22-22 formed in the sides of the templet.

The various perforations in the Work piece are cut by a vertical mill tool bit 66 mounted for rotation about a vertical axis in the head 68 of a machine tool assembly generally indicated by reference numeral 69. One such vertical milling machine is manufactured by the Onsrud Machine Company. The milling tool bit 66 has a pair of generally axial cutting edges 70 (FIG. 8) formed in the main cylindrical portion of the tool bit which mills or cuts the metal as it is moved horizontally at right angles to its axis of rotation. Tool bit 66 i mounted within a collar 71 having a smooth exterior cylindrical outer surface. In a manner well known in the art, the assembly of the collar 71 and the tool 66 are fixed to a rotatable and vertically movable spindle 73 which can be raised and lowered any given amount by hydraulic pressure by means of suitable operating switch 75 (FIG. 8) which, when operated in one direction lowers the spindle 73 a given amount, and when operated in the other direction raises the spindle by the same amount. Since this type of machine tool is well known in the art, details of construction thereof have been omitted from the specification.

The collar 71 is of sufiicient height that it can engage the defining walls of the various perforations 14 in the templet and also the side edges of the limit bars 52 and 61 over the full limit of movement of the cutting tool bit 66 required to penetrate the work piece 2. The entire tool head 68 is mounted for universal movement so that the collar 71 may be moved in engagement with the defining walls of the various perforations 14 of the templet and along the edges of the limit 'bars to cut the desired pattern in the work piece. The tool head 68 is, accordingly, secured to the end of a first swivel arm 77 mounted for pivotal movement about a vertical pivot 79 supported from the end of a second swivel arm 81. The inner end of the swivel arm 81 is, in turn, pivoted about a vertical pivot 83 supported by a stationary frame part 85 of the machine. It is apparent that the tool head 68 can be moved in any position in a horizontal plane so that the cutting tool 66 may traverse the limits of the various perforations 14 of the templet. Obviously, the margins of the various perforations 14 are made slightly larger than the corresponding dimensions of the pattern which it is to form by an amount equal to the spacing between the perimeter of the milling tool 66 and the collar 71.

After the pattern defined by the templet has been cut in the work piece, as previously indicated, the templet is then unclamped from rails 34-34 and positioned over the next set of locator pins which bring the left hand margin of the design-forming portion, 12 ofthe templet as viewed in FIG. 7 opposite the right hand margin of the design' pattern previously cut into the work piece, so that an overall homogeneous design pattern may be cut therein. The provision of. the various locator pins on the side rails 34-34 of the base vplate 30 for accurately positioning the templet and the provision of the various locator pins upon the templet for accurately positioning, the limit bars 52 and 61 give the overall assembly extreme flexibility.

It should be understood that numerous modifications may be made in the apparatus above described without deviating from the broader aspects of the invention.

What I claim as new and desire to protect by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. Apparatus for making a grille comprising: a support for a Work piece of thick metal plate, means for clamping said work piece upon said support, a templet having a series of perforations forming a repetitive design pattern to be transferred to said metal plate work piece, means for supporting said templet in overlying relationship to said work piece in any one of a number of definite predetermined parallel positions thereover, so that the basic design pattern on said template can be repeated and along said work piece, a limit bar overlying said templet, means for supporting and clamping said limit bar in overlying relation upon said templet in any one of a number of definite predetermined spaced parallel positions thereon, a milling tool rotatably supported about an axis extending at right angles to said templet and work piece and movable parallel to said axis to the extent necessary to penetrate said work piece, said milling tool having a templet contacting collar of sufficient depth to engage the defining walls of the templet perforations and the edge of said limit bar while penetrating said work piece, and means supporting said milling tool for universal movement in a plane at right angles to the axis of rotation of said milling tool, the adjustability of said limit bar enabling a wide selection of the size of the overall pattern on the work piece.

2. Apparatus for making a grille comprising: a support for a work piece of thick metal plate, means for clamping said work piece upon said support, a templet having a series of perforations forming a repetitive design pattern to be transferred to said work piece, means for supporting said templet in overlying relationship to said work piece in any one of a number of definite predetermined parallel positions thereover, so that the basic design pattern on said templet can be repeated and along said work piece, a first limit bar overlying said templet, means for supporting and clamping said first limit bar in overlying relation upon said templet in any one of a number of definite predetermined spaced parallel positions thereon, a second limit bar overlying said templet in transverse relation to said first limit bar, means for supporting and clamping said second limit bar over said templet in any one of a number of definite predetermined spaced parallel positions thereon, a milling tool rotatably supported about an axis extending at right angles to said templet and work piece and movable parallel to said axis to the extent necessary to penetrate said work piece, said milling tool having a templet contacting collar of sutficient depth to engage the defining walls of the template perforations and the edges of said limit bars while penetrating said work piece, and means supoprting said milling tool for universal movement in a plane at right angles to the axis of rotation of said milling tool, the adjustability of said limit bars enabling a wide selection of the size of the overall pattern on the work piece.

3. Apparatus for making a grille comprising: a horizontal base plate for supporting a work piece of thick plate aluminum, a pair of longitudinal rails on opposite sides of said baseplate between which said work piece is to be supported, a templet sized to extend transversely between said side rails, said templet having a peripheral portion and a design-forming portion within said peripheral portion, which latter portion comprises a series of perforations forming a repetitive design pattern to be transferred to said work piece, the lateral edges of the design pattern being complementary so that the juxtaposition of two such design patterns would form one overall homogeneous design pattern, said rails each having a series of locator means spaced longitudinally an amount equal to the width of said design pattern, the peripheral portion of said templet having means for engaging said locator means on said rails, the templet being thus adapted to be positioned in discrete steps along said rails to repeat the design pattern upon a work piece of greater width than said design pattern, a first limit bar extending transversely over said templet and having a series of equally longitudinally spaced locator and securing means for positioning and holding said first limit bar in a number of discrete parallel positions, said first limit bar having means for engaging said locator means in said discrete positions thereof, a second limit bar extending longitudinally over said templet, the peripheral portion of said templet having a series of laterally spaced locator and securing means for positioning and holding said second limit bar in a number of discrete parallel positions, said second limit bar having means for engaging said last mentioned locator means in said discrete positions thereof, a mailling tool rotatably supported about an axis extending at right angles to said templet and work piece and movable parallel to said axis to the extent necessary to penetrate said work piece, said milling tool having a templet-contacting collar of sufficient depth to engage the defining walls of the templet perforations and the edge of said first and second limit bars while penetrating said work piece, and means supporting said milling tool for universal movement in a plane at right angles to the axis of rotation of said milling tool, the adjustability of said limit bars enabling a wide selection of the size of the overall position on the work piece.

4. A method of making a color anodized architectural grille of uniform color comprising: securing a designforming templet in a first one of a plurality of successive overlying positions with respect to an anchored thick metal plate work piece, said templet having a series of spaced but contiguous perforations occupying a major share of the area encompassing the design-forming portion of the templet to provide narrow ribs of metal between said perforations, said perforations forming a repetitive design pattern to be transferred to said metal plate work piece, the ribs along one side edge of the design pattern on the templet in each position of the latter being continuous with respective ribs along the opposite side edge of the design pattern in the next successive position of the templet so that the design patterns in successive positions of the templet are complementary and so that the juxtaposition of two such design patterns forms one overall homogeneous design pattern, passing a milling tool rotating about an axis at right angles to the plane of the work piece through each of the design-forming perforations of the templet and moving the milling tool along the entire extent of the defining walls thereof and passing the tool through the work piece to cut and remove individual pieces of metal corresponding to said perforations leaving narrow ribs of metal with perforations therebetween to define a first grille design area, then changing the relative position between the anchored work piece and the templet and securing the latter in a second of said successive overlying positions with respect to the work piece to bring the design-forming portion of the templet in continuous adjacent juxtaposed relation to the design area just cut in said workpiece, then repeating said cutting operation by passing the milling tool again through the templet perforations and the work piece, moving the tool along the entire extent of the defining walls of the templet perforations, to form a second grille design area having ribs along one edge continuous with the respective ribs along the corresponding adjacent edge of said first grille design area and thereby to form an overall homogeneous design pattern, and then color anodizing the completed work piece to form a grille with a metallic appearance and with the same intensity of color throughout.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Seller Mar. 7, 1933 Tosterud Oct. 22, 1935 Rajsch Oct. 25, 1938 Jones Apr. 27, 1943 Stone Aug. 29, 1950 Eberle et a1 Jan. 6, 1953 De Vau et a1 June 23, 1953 Mann Nov. 15, 1955 Wetzel Jan. 15, 1957 Sonnino Apr. 9, 1957 Lica June 17, 1958 

4. A METHOD MAKING A COLOR ANODIZED ARCHITECTURAL GRILLE OF UNIFORM COLOR COMPRISING: SECURING A DESIGNFORMING TEMPLET IN A FIRST ONE OF A PLURALITY OF SUCCESSIVE OVERLYING POSITIONS WITH RESPECT TO AN ANCHORED THICK METAL PLATE WORK PIECE, SAID TEMPLET HAVING A SERIES OF SPACED BUT CONTIGUOUS PERFORATIONS OCCUPYING A MAJOR SHARE OF THE AREA ENCOMPASSING THE DESIGN-FORMING PORTION OF THE TEMPLET TO PROVIDE NARROW RIBS OF METAL BETWEEN SAID PERFORATIONS, SAID PERFORATIONS FORMING A REPETITIVE DESIGN PATTERN TO BE TRANSFERRED TO SAID METAL PLATE WORK PIECE, THE RIBS ALONG ONE SIDE EDGE OF THE DESIGN PATTERN ON THE TEMPLET IN EACH POSITION OF THE LATTER BEING CONTINUOUS WITH RESPECTIVE RIBS ALONG THE OPPOSITE SIDE EDGE OF THE DESIGN PATTERN IN THE NEXT SUCCESSIVE POSITION OF THE TEMPLET SO THAT THE DESIGN PATTERN IN SUCCESSIVE POSITIONS OF THE TEMPLET ARE COMPLEMENTARY AND SO THAT THE JUXTAPOSITION OF TWO SUCH DESIGN PATTERNS FORMS ONE OVERALL HOMOGENEOUS DESIGN PATTERN, PASSING A MILLING TOOL ROTATING ABOUT AN AXIS AT RIGHT ANGLES TO THE PLANE OF THE WORK PIECE THROUGH EACH OF THE DESIGN-FORMING PERFORATIONS OF THE TEMPLET AND MOVING THE MILLING TOOL ALONG THE ENTIRE EXTENT OF THE DEFINING WALLS THEREOF AND PASSING THE TOOL THROUGH THE WORK PIECE TO CUT AND REMOVE INDIVIDUAL PIECES OF METAL CORRESPONDING TO SAID PERFORATIONS LEAVING NARROW RIBS OF METAL WITH PERFORATIONS THEREBETWEEN TO DEFINE A FIRST GRILLE DESIGN AREA, THEN CHANGING THE RELATIVE POSITION BETWEEN THE ANCHORED WORK PIECE AND THE TEMPLET AND SECURING THE LATTER IN A SECOND OF SAID SUCCESSIVE OVERLYING POSITIONS WITH RESPECT TO THE WORK PIECE TO BRING THE DESIGN-FORMING PORTION OF THE TEMPLET IN CONTINUOUS ADJACENT JUXTAPOSED RELATION TO THE DESIGN AREA JUST CUT IN SAID WORKPIECE, THEN REPEATING SAID CUTTING OPERATION BY PASSING THE MILLING TOOL AGAIN THROUGH THE TEMPLET PERFORATIONS AND THE WORK PIECE, MOVING THE TOOL ALONG THE ENTIRE EXTENT OF THE DEFINING WALLS OF THE TEMPLET PERFORATIONS, TO FORM A SECOND GRILLE DESIGN AREA HAVING RIBS ALONG ONE EDGE CONTINUOUS WITH THE RESPECTIVE RIBS ALONG THE CORRESPONDING ADJACENT EDGE OF SAID FIRST GRILLE DESIGN AREA AND THEREBY TO FORM AN OVERALL HOMOGENEOUS DESIGN PATTERN, AND THEN COLOR ANODIZING THE COMPLETED WORK PIECE TO FORM A GRILLE WITH A METALLIC APPEARANCE AND WITH THE SAME INTENSITY OF COLOR THROUGHOUT. 